Forms and Characteristics of International Logistics
According to the directions of international logistics, its forms include inbound logistics and out bound logistics ； according to the modes of transportation, logistics can be classified into maritime logistics ,air freight logistics, land logistics ( road, rail and road - rail logistics) , pipelines logistics,postal logistics and multi - model logistics.
Environment Diversity. The characteristics of international logistics, compared with those of domestic logistics, can be illustrated in the diversity in logistics environments in different countries or regions. The process of international logistics may be more complex due to the different laws or regulations governing logistics ； also, the efficiency of logistics performance may be constrained due to different progress in technology supporting the logistics operations or lack of certain application of such technology ； and the unified logistics standard is hard to be adopted in two or more countries or regions. Along with the diversified social background, the development of international logistics has been hampered.
Broad Coverage. Except the internal complex functions with various elements, international logistics are more complicated due to the broader space, longer distance and transit time in different e- conomies.
High Standaidization of logistics. The efficient performance in intemational logistics relies on a unified set of logistics system accepted and implemented worldwide. For instance, standard pallets and containers, facilities and equipment's adopted in America and EU ( European Union) , have been proved as the an efficient operation in transshipment, leading to decreasing of logistics costs. Thus countries with various standards and operations in transshipment may consume more time and cost, which may lag behind the competitiveness of the whole countries.
Information Communication Technology (ICT). Systems supported by the intemational information technology have been a prerequisite in intemational logistics, especially in international multimodal transportation. So establishment of such system, requiring both of huge investment and sound management, are hard to realize due to the unbalanced infrastructures among countries. And the first step to make an access to such system is to set up an information shared mechanism in customs to share timely data in ports, terminals and freight stations, which could support decisions in supply or sales business.
Forms and Characteristics of International Logistics
